SEVENTH TRIAL

[bathymetric]

[ After a while, Davy Jones comes and collects you all again. It's a much quicker trip than he's ever had to take for you all before. You all fit so easily into the elevator in the theatre now, don't you?

As he plays the song that takes you down, even Jones seems tired. But the elevator certainly isn't, moving just as dramatically into the depths of the ship as it ever has. You now know all the floors it passes on its trip down to the trial room, don't you?

And none of you even know that this is your last ride down. The end is coming. But that's for later, and not quite yet for all of you.

The crew of the Dutchman is... different, somehow, this week. There are more figures aboard, and they're all singing, well. Maybe Scott was right, that first week. ]

Ye know what to do, passengers.

[ Jones moves to the wall to look out at his ship, scowling.

The podiums are waiting.

Welcome to your seventh trial.

Comments

[jibunwo]

So were most of us.

[scouserer]

But you weren't the one who had evidence connected to you at the crime scene, hm?

[ltcommandroid]

The same could also be said for you.

[scouserer]

It can. But if I had tried to kill anyone on this ship and get away with it, I certainly wouldn't be spreading my own goddamn cigarettes around. I'd want it to be clean and untraceable as possible.

[ltcommandroid]

Yet you believe Magica would have neglected to clean up her own feathers while setting the scene?

[scouserer]

That's what I can't figure out.

[A pause.]

She might've been trying to clean up when she heard you approach. Didn't have time or something. Or...Or....

[His brow furrows in thought.]

[ltcommandroid]

I encountered the killer near the stairs, not near the photography lab. They would have no reason to fear interruption there.

[...]

Did you have another idea?

[scouserer]

...No. It's nothing.

[His arms crossed, he taps his fingers against his forearm. His brow is still furrowed in thought.]

[jibunwo]

Depends on how you want to look at the taser, actually. I've made no secret of carrying one most of the time here.

I would point out you were also incriminated as well.

[scouserer]

Yeah, I was. But you'd think I want to get into a fight with Jasper, of all people? Armored like that?

[jibunwo]

How should I know? It seems you have a tendency to aggressively think you know what you're doing, in the heat of the moment.

[scouserer]

[Constantine lets out a sharp laugh.]

Well, you've got that right, mate. But when it comes to murder? There's no goddamn excuse for that. Surprisingly, I find it easy to not kill people--unlike half the people who've died.

[jibunwo]

[Dryly:] It can be a little harder than it sounds.

Regardless, you really want to put forth the argument 'I don't want to get into a fight with Jasper in full armor', then turn around and accuse Magica? She's a duck, I really don't think Jasper would have had trouble with her.

[scouserer]

Unless she got the jump on him somehow. S'not like he had many injuries, did he? Just the bruise and the cut on his throat--which, from what we know, probably didn't have any sort of actual blood spilling from it.

[He rubs the back of his neck, frowning.]

And, if that's the case, then it opens up a bunch of other suspects, doesn't it?

[jibunwo]

Now you're getting it.

[constantine please stop getting owned by the teenager]

So there's no reason to assume immediately that one of the current obvious leads is our culprit, unless you want that turned around on yourself.

[ahelpingpaw]

...leaving aside that she's a duck...

[Hm, he's not sure if he's putting too much faith on Magica, but hey, when hasn't he thought the best of people:]

I don't doubt she'd try to get us all killed in a trial. I'm sure if she could have her way she'd have done it a long time ago, but...well, Magica isn't stupid. She must know that ghost thing would destroy her right after we all die. I doubt she cares about all of our lives, but I really believe she'd care about her own.

Besides I also have a hard time thinking she'd kill by accident, so...this must have been intentional.

[What he means is that she wouldn't plan something she knows would end in her death anyway, whether it's by execution or by ghost murdering her]

[magycks]

So, what are you proposing here exactly? I was so raving mad that I carefully mixed fake blood in the kitchen, took all of your cigarette butts to plant, lured Jasper to the deck with a letter, and then carried him down seven flights of stairs? That's your hot take?

[scouserer]

Well, when you spell it out like that, it doesn't make much sense. But it's all I've got right now.

[sivard]

How about we stop with the wild accusations?

[magycks]

Yes, let's. Let's not, say, mention that the last time this happened it was the culprit attempting to redirect blame and that your evidence is here too, or that you're one of the few people who seems capable of thinking clearly under the mounting pressure of the curse. That would be completely out of line!

[ the yous in this sentence are uh... obviously not directed at zaveid... ]

[scouserer]

Oh, are you accusing me, now, then?

[magycks]

Hmm? Oh, no, that would be far too hasty. It's not like you just admitted to knowing how to make fake blood or anything.

[scythegun]

Actually, I've got one more while we're out here throwing wild theories out.

Mr. Jones, you and our new Captain didn't have anything to do with this, did you?

[thekeyofsea]

[ Jones shakes his head. ]

Neither the Captain nor I can commit a murder that would result in a trial. T'would go against the directives of this accursed exercise.

[scythegun]

Ja, that's what I thought. But can either of you get involved after someone's died? You know, to plant things at the scene of the crime or otherwise make it easier for all of us to get it wrong?